N.C. infant mortality rate lowest in state history

North Carolina’s infant mortality rate was 7.0 per 1,000 live births last year, which tied 2010 as the lowest in the state’s history, state health officials said this week.

Buncombe County’s overall infant mortality rate was 10.1, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The state’s infant mortality rate for 2012 was 7.4 percent, according to the department.

The biggest improvements in North Carolina were among Hispanics and African-Americans, which saw decreases of 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

Even so, the African-American infant mortality rate was 12.5, the state reports. Although that’s the lowest recorded, blacks still have an infant mortality rate more than twice their white counterparts.

“DHHS is extremely proud of the progress made in the health of our state’s women and infants,” said Penny Slade-Sawyer, director of DHHS’s Division of Public Health.

“The health of women before, during and after pregnancy directly influences the health of their infants,” she added. “Our efforts to increase preventative care have been effective, and we look forward to continue working with our partners across the state to further these initiatives.”

Those efforts include training health-providers and others to disseminate information about the link between women’s and infant’s health; improving access to prenatal care; offering programs that address health disparities in minority populations; and linking women in their child-bearing years to health resources through social marketing and social media, according to the department.